DVD Samson and Delilah (The Bible Collection)
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Review(s): DVD Samson and Delilah (The Bible Collection) | |
| Good but doesn't follow scripture very closely |
Although worth watching, it is the worst of the Bible series pertaining to following scripture. The biggest problem is that they leave out key event and/or totally get them out of order. All in all it 'is' entertaining a pretty clean considering the story.
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I am a big fan of the Bible Series, Moses, Jacob and David are great movies, a little inaccurate at times but nothing mayor, however Samson and Delilah it's very inaccurate, for instance it completely forgot the part in which Samson offers honey to his parents (to show disobedience) or when Samson asks permission to his parents to marry a Philistian woman. This movie in relation to all others doesn't contain a message but rather its an attempt to make a biblical story a commercial one.
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| "every gift is also a burden" |
This film includes a lot of embelishment as well as fictional characters to fill out the story of Samson, taken from Judges Ch. 13 through 16, but the essence of the story is intact. A man who loved the God of his fathers, but also the women of his enemies, the Philistines, and finds his real strength only after he has lost everything.
Samson is portrayed as man who never cries, not even as a baby at his bris (circumcision), or his father's death, but the feelings of lust and revenge weave continually through his story, and there are many brutal scenes, making this film not recommended for children.As Samson's mother Mara, Diana Rigg is superb; she is a "type", like Sarah/Isaac, Rachel/Jacob, Hannah/Samuel, and Elisabeth/John the Baptist, all barren women who miraculously give birth to a son that becomes a leader/savior of his people.
Eric Thal is effective as Samson, very big and brawny, and he looks great on horseback. He also carries off the end parts too, which could easily have become cartoonish.
Michael Gambon is terrific as the wily old King Hamun of the Philistines, and in the most bizarre casting, Dennis Hopper as a laid back general. Elizabeth Hurley's Delilah is a cool, calculating vixen, and beautiful enough to make the most of Samson's weakness. Max Von Sydow does the narration throughout the film. The Philistine interiors are very imaginitive, with their grotesque gods and massive columns, and the devastation of them well filmed. The fight with the lion is cleverly done also, with lots of grunts and roars from man and beast.
Filmed on location in Quarzazate, Morocco, it has a marvelous score by Marco Frisina, the excellent cinematography of Raffaele Mertes, and well paced direction by Nicolas Roeg.
"David", "Solomon", "Jeremiah" and "Abraham", are my favorites of these above average made for TV Bible stories, and this film, though not one of the best, is highly entertaining with some good acting. Total running time: 182 minutes.
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